Providence Day coach Brian Field retires. ‘Time is right for the torch to be passed’
After 15 years as the head boys basketball coach at Providence Day, and presiding over one of the most dominant runs in Mecklenburg County history, Brian Field said he is retiring.
Field told his team early Thursday afternoon. He plans to remain at Providence Day, his alma mater, as a teacher.
“Ever since I was a middle school student,” Field said, “I dreamed of becoming the head coach at PDS. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined all the relationships, experiences, championships and memories that were in store for me. It has been a true honor and joy to lead this program for the last 15 years, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and wonderful people who contributed to all our success.”
Field attended Providence Day for 13 years and graduated in 1994. He played varsity basketball for three seasons and helped lead the team to the N.C. Independent School semifinals as a senior. Field later played two years at NCAA Division III Sewanee: The University of the South before a knee injury ended his career. He became a student assistant and returned to Providence Day in 2000 as a faculty member and assistant coach under David Carrier, now head coach at rival Charlotte Country Day.
In 2006, Field was named Providence Day’s head coach. His teams have made the playoffs every season since, and from 2013-18, Providence Day won six straight CISAA conference titles.
During that run, the Chargers were 53-3 against league opponents.
Field’s 2015-16 team was ranked among the top 10 in the nation when it won the NCISAA state championship and advanced to the then DICKS’ National Championship in New York.
Providence Day has had five players in school history score more than 1,500 points in a career. Three played on that team: Grant Williams (Boston Celtics), McDonald’s All-American Devon Dotson (Chicago Bulls) and Trey Wertz (Notre Dame).
In 2017, Field’s team won the Chick-Fil-A national tournament and his teams were back-to-back winners of the Hoodies House national tournament in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. In 2017, Providence Day was invited to play in an international competition in Beijing, China.
Field has won multiple Charlotte Observer coach of the year awards and was named N.C. coach of the year in 2016.
In 2018, Championship Productions produced three basketball instructional videos featuring the Chargers team and coaching staff that covered various aspects of the game.
Field ends his career with a record of 259-181, the most wins in school history.
“After much thought and prayer,” he said, “I concluded that it was time for me to spend more quality time with my family. I will miss many things about being the head coach, but the time is right for me and for our program for the torch to be passed.”
Players remember coach Field
Three of the players from the 2016 state championship team, Devon Dotson, Grant Williams and Trey Wertz, sent comments about their high school coach retiring
Dotson: “There’s a few coaches out there who truly care about his players as individuals, not just how we are performing on the court. Coach Field was a prime example of that. Coach was there for me no matter the situation. I remember the times when he would call me in his office to tell me a school has offered a scholarship, and i swear he would have a bigger smile on his face telling me than i had myself. He genuinely wanted to see his players succeed. Can’t thank him enough for his impact on my high school experience.”
Wertz: “Coach Field is one of the best coaches I’ve had. He was intelligent, but what really stood out is he how much he cared about his players. If you know him, you know he’s a family man and he always treated us like that. Through all the ups and downs, he always had our backs and wanted what was best for us. He also never shied away from anybody. He was willing to go play any and everybody and it helped us all in the long run. Those four years came with a lot of memories that I’ll never forget and I appreciate him for that.”
Williams: “Coach Field has always been one to care for and fight for his players. We had many laughs and tearful moments at Providence Day, partly because coach definitely gets emotional, but it’s always because he wants to see his players live up to their potential. He truly embraced the mentality of being a family from Day One and included the entire team year after year. He is an intense competitor and has a passion for basketball and wanted to be one of the best coaches to do it. I am thankful for the years I spent with coach Field and I am sad to see him go. He helped me become who I am today and I will never forget that.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 1:45 PM.
